THRIVE: 13 Multiple studies over years have highlighted the need to rethink higher education. These studies have shown that students need competencies such as project management, teamwork, stress management skills and resilience to be able to compete in the job market after graduation. Since 2020, the University of Johannesburg, alongside five other local and international universities have been part of the Erasmus+ SUCSSESS Project. The aim of the project is to strengthen university-enterprise cooperation in South Africa to support regional development by enhancing lifelong skills, social innovations, and inclusivity. STH lecturers who have participated in the project share their key takeaways . Since 2020, I have been part of the SUCSESS project. There are takeaways from the project, which changed my approach to lecturing. Foremost, participating in the project has changed my perspective on my role as a lecture in the classroom. From being at the center of teaching and learning I now consider myself facilitator of knowledge production and sharing. The various pedagogies (i.e., projectbased learning and flipped classroom) and technologies introduced during the project have helped me create a space for collaborative learning, critical thinking, and active engagement in the content and the industry. A number of these were achieved through using some of my favorite digital tools I learnt, for example, the Padlet, Flinga and Flipgrid. These online websites and mobile applications enable students to share their own (well-informed) views on the topic at hand. I have found that these sites (complemented with the pedagogies) have allowed students to be more vocal when expressing their opinions and boosts their confidence. Another major focus of the project was industry collaboration and inclusion in the classroom. This involved providing students the opportunity to engage, work with and learn from industry members. This not only increased their skills development but changed their experience as students. “All in all, I am quite grateful to have been a part of the project. The insight and learning gained shaped who I am as a lecturer. While exposed to various technologies, all bearing significant opportunities and possibilities for tourism students, one thing that was consistently emphasised is the importance of understanding the South African context. A key take-away from the project - we need to shape what we have learned in a way that best suits the realities of our students, while empowering and providing greater opportunities to increase their competencies and, subsequently, employability." - Refiloe Lekgau, Tourism Lecturer. ◼ ◼Haaga-Helia University UAS, Finland ◼ ◼Oulu University, Finland ◼ ◼Sheffield Hallam University, United Kingdom ◼ ◼University of Johannesburg (STH) ◼ ◼University of Pretoria ◼ ◼University of Zululand SUCSESS Project Partners: S U C S E S S P r o j e c t Adapt teaching and learning to student context and realities From being at the center of teaching and learning I now consider myself a facilitator of knowledge production and sharing.
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